


Passionate About Books

by redundant_angel



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Aziraphale is "just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing" (Good Omens), Aziraphale is Not Innocent (Good Omens), Aziraphale's Bookshop (Good Omens), Books, Crowley Reads (Good Omens), Crowley Takes a Nap (Good Omens), Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, One Shot, Quote: Thank you for my pornography (Good Omens), Wrestling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:42:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23486257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redundant_angel/pseuds/redundant_angel
Summary: Aziraphale is very passionate about his books.Now with a Drunk Storytime reading by Quefish!!
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 56
Kudos: 210
Collections: Break in Case of Emergency: Fluff and Love, Just Enough Of A Bastard to be Worth Knowing Biblically, ineffably fluffy





	Passionate About Books

**Author's Note:**

> Update: [Quefish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quefish) has just done a hilarious Drunk Storytime reading of Passionate About Books, which you can watch [here!](https://youtu.be/V9Z9RPYBTGMurl)

It was two in the afternoon and something very strange was happening in Aziraphale’s bookshop.

Crowley was reading.

Aziraphale was aware that Crowley _could_ read, obviously, but in as many centuries as he and Crowley had known each other, the angel couldn’t quite recall the last time he’d seen the demon so engrossed in a book. Crowley had even mentioned on at least one occasion how much he disliked reading, although he’d never given a reason as to why. This was a rare sight indeed. 

Aziraphale ventured a bit closer to the couch where the demon was sprawled out, trying to get a better look at the book in question. He pretended to wipe some dust away from an old manuscript as he squinted in vain to read the title on the book’s cover. He must not have been very subtle.

“Something I can help you with, angel?”

Aziraphale froze where he stood. Crowley had caught him staring and was now watching him intently. 

“No, Crowley, not at all. It’s just that… well… I couldn’t help but notice that you’re reading.”

Crowley snapped the book in his hands shut and raised an eyebrow. “What’s your point?”

Aziraphale gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. “I so rarely see you reading, that’s all. I was just curious as to which book of mine you found interesting enough to actually delve into.”

Crowley snorted and tucked the book between his thigh and the side of the couch so that the angel couldn’t see it. “It’s nothing,” he said.

Aziraphale frowned. He couldn’t believe that Crowley was actually trying to hide one of his own books from him! And he was reading it in Aziraphale’s own shop, no less.

Aziraphale huffed. “Whatever it is, dear boy, I can assure you, I’ve already read it. This is my bookshop, after all.”

“Well, then it shouldn’t matter, should it?” Crowley snapped, stuffing the book further behind him so it had all but disappeared from view.

“No, I suppose not,” Aziraphale conceded. 

The angel collected his mug of cocoa and retreated to his favorite armchair to continue with his own reading. Five minutes later, he noticed that Crowley had picked the mysterious book up again, his back turned slightly away so that Aziraphale couldn’t see the title. The angel sighed and decided to ignore him.

After an hour of utter silence, Aziraphale glanced over at Crowley. The demon appeared to be asleep, the book lying open across the rise and fall of his chest. Aziraphale drummed his fingers softly on the table beside him. Crowley had been so insistent on hiding the book from him earlier, so he should probably leave things be. But that the demon had gotten so touchy about it only made Aziraphale more and more curious. What could it possibly be that was causing Crowley to act so suspiciously?

Aziraphale considered his options. It would be nothing for him to walk a few steps towards the couch and take a quick peek at the front cover. Crowley would never know, since he was fast asleep. No harm done, really.

With a sudden burst of determination, Aziraphale placed his own book aside and carefully rose to his feet. As stealthily as he was able to, he crept towards the couch where Crowley slept, trying as hard as he could not the wake the demon. The book’s cover was facing away from him and there was nothing written on the spine. He would need to lean in just a bit closer…

Two wide yellow eyes flickered open and locked onto his own. Aziraphale gasped.

Crowley, realizing what was happening, rolled over and quickly thrust the book behind his back so that Aziraphale couldn't see it.

This was ridiculous. 

Without thinking, Aziraphale pounced on Crowley and attempted wrestle the book away from him. Crowley hissed and tried to shove the angel away, but Aziraphale, who was much stronger than he looked, got the upper hand. With one knee in a rather dangerous location across Crowley’s hips, he pinned the demon’s arms over his head and held them there in a firm grasp.

Crowley, who was now in a state of utter disbelief, stopped struggling as Aziraphale wrestled the book from underneath him. “For Satan’s sake, angel!” he growled.

Triumphant, Aziraphale stood, dusted himself off and straightened his bow tie, a valiant look on his face. He held the book up to light to get a better look. 

“ **Perennial Vines for Shady Areas”** he read aloud. He looked back at Crowley in confusion. “What?”

Crowley glared. “Happy?”

Aziraphale shook his head in disbelief. “No. To be honest, I expected to find something… I don’t know… something a little more pornographic, perhaps?”

“Pornographic?” Crowley spit out a laugh. “Yeah? Why is that? You thought the only book that I might be interested in reading would be pornographic?”

The angel looked rather embarrassed now. “No, of course not, Crowley. I only assumed that it might be something of that nature, otherwise I couldn’t understand why you would be so intent on hiding it.”

"Look, if you really need to know,” Crowley began, fixing Aziraphale with a guilty look, “I took this book out from the library.”

Aziraphale glanced down. Sure enough, on the bottom corner of the front cover there was a small bar code with the words “Soho Public Library” in fine print above it. The angel stared at Crowley, not quite understanding.

The demon shrugged. “I thought you might get upset if I brought a library book into your bookshop, seeing as you own so many of the damned things already. It almost felt like cheating... or something.”

Aziraphale had to laugh. It was just too absurd not to. “That’s positively silly, dear. I don’t mind if you read a library book in my shop, as long as you make sure not to leave it behind when you’re finished.” He handed the book back to Crowley, an apologetic smile on his face. “I’m sorry, dear. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”

“It’s alright, angel,” Crowley replied, slinking back down onto the couch. “Although I think I may have just witnessed a side of you I’ve never seen before.”

Aziraphale smiled sheepishly. “Well. I suppose I can get very passionate about my books.” 

The angel picked up the novel he'd been reading and sat down again in his armchair. For the next few minutes, they sat in silence as Crowley flipped mindlessly through the pages of his library book, obviously distracted by something.

“Angel?” he said suddenly.

“Yes, dear?”

Crowley swallowed. “You have books on pornography in here?”

Aziraphale's eyes rose to meet Crowley’s from behind his paperback. He parsed his lips thoughtfully, then turned back on his novel. 

“Maybe.”


End file.
